My Gallery.
Most of the Art & Photography I am proud of will be here
My VAM 30 project, Soul Loopers, has surely taken me through a long journey of hard work and taught me many lessons this year. In comparison to last year's version of this project, instead of "winging it" I constantly had a vision on how every detail of my illustrations would connect to the actual story. My first page was my reintroduction to perspective in my artwork, a skill I would need to improve if I wanted to be successful in this project. Becoming reacquainted with this important skill has help me tremendously in my background art in all my pages and has assisted with proportion as well. On the same page, I drew my first character illustration since my last year in VAM, needless to say, there is a massive improvement since last time. The first page, along with everything else, has proved to help my light and shading greatly. This page is shown to have a variety of symbolism ranging from the sky, the buildings, and the character himself which all reflect the environment of the story in comparison to the past. The symbolism adds to the harshness and impact of the words used in this novel's introduction.
Learning from my mistakes with my first page's background, I learned how to use the perspective grid tool to make my background art line art easier. With this page and the third page, all of the background are made up with solid shapes that were easily filled with either color or textures of my choosing. In the final stretch of finishing the second page I had to come up with a way to make textures for every surface faster way. This lead me to learn a basic understanding of how to use some of the filter gallery tools and make my wood textures using a variety of those tools, the same can be said for the third page. Through the use of broken wine bottles and old beat up stairs the second page symbolizes the poor economy and environment of the modern, post-war day in this novel. The broken and lack of wine bottles represent how resources diminish by the day and as the environment, economy, and people worsen. It becomes apparent it's only a manor of time before the land of Nevada becomes completely uninhabitable. As seen by the details on the stairs, the lack of necessary treatment and rebuilding of the nation has left Nevada, and the entire USA for that matter, in shambles.
On the third page illustration I took what I learned from the previous two pages in perspective shortcuts and techniques and applied them, resulting in an easily assembled background. For Ryan, the character on this page, I took a real-life reference image instead of tracing over a previous sketch. The result I find was much better then that of the previous two pages in terms of proportion, shading, and lighting. This shot is taken from a different point of view in the bar and so cracked windows shining light through the back of the bar can be seen. This represents the hope of the people in the desolate land of Nevada, in this novel, that there are very few people that have hope for the future; even with those small amount of people, their perspective flawed and alone they can't fix anything. The people of this story are so caught up with protecting themselves, as they could day on any given day, that barely anyone has even attempted to fix the broken state the country is in and has been in for the past 18 years. I look forward to continue working this project on my free time and seeing first hand how much I can improve as I do.
Learning from my mistakes with my first page's background, I learned how to use the perspective grid tool to make my background art line art easier. With this page and the third page, all of the background are made up with solid shapes that were easily filled with either color or textures of my choosing. In the final stretch of finishing the second page I had to come up with a way to make textures for every surface faster way. This lead me to learn a basic understanding of how to use some of the filter gallery tools and make my wood textures using a variety of those tools, the same can be said for the third page. Through the use of broken wine bottles and old beat up stairs the second page symbolizes the poor economy and environment of the modern, post-war day in this novel. The broken and lack of wine bottles represent how resources diminish by the day and as the environment, economy, and people worsen. It becomes apparent it's only a manor of time before the land of Nevada becomes completely uninhabitable. As seen by the details on the stairs, the lack of necessary treatment and rebuilding of the nation has left Nevada, and the entire USA for that matter, in shambles.
On the third page illustration I took what I learned from the previous two pages in perspective shortcuts and techniques and applied them, resulting in an easily assembled background. For Ryan, the character on this page, I took a real-life reference image instead of tracing over a previous sketch. The result I find was much better then that of the previous two pages in terms of proportion, shading, and lighting. This shot is taken from a different point of view in the bar and so cracked windows shining light through the back of the bar can be seen. This represents the hope of the people in the desolate land of Nevada, in this novel, that there are very few people that have hope for the future; even with those small amount of people, their perspective flawed and alone they can't fix anything. The people of this story are so caught up with protecting themselves, as they could day on any given day, that barely anyone has even attempted to fix the broken state the country is in and has been in for the past 18 years. I look forward to continue working this project on my free time and seeing first hand how much I can improve as I do.
"Drip Too Hard" Independent Digital Art Series
For my final independent digital project I made a series called “Drip Too Hard” and it’s a series of 3 photos of nature that appear to have certain elements of them dripping. Essentially I have one subject in colour that is edited to look like it’s dripping while the background is in black and white. I had a lot of fun with this project due to the creative freedom I had with it, as a result I’m quite pleased with my final product. I basically stuck with all the tools I planned to use from the beginning and I had no problems, everything was almost perfectly planned out. The blending tool was my best friend throughout this whole project, it did most of the work when it came to the drip editing.
My first photo I finished, Violet Velvet, was quite easy to work with as the petals on it blended really well with the dripping effect. I took a fair amount of time with the black & white filter as I wanted to experiment with it, this helped me get a better feel for how to properly use the black & white filter. I took the inside nectar part of the flower and edited it so it looks like it’s flowing outward which I think works quite well with the dripping on the flower. What I really love about this photo overall is how much the colour pops, it definitely strengthens that sense of empathy I’m going for in the photo.
My second photo Red Rose was a bit more tricky as I needed to find a way for the flower to look naturally dripping and I had a few flaws to be fixed. The black & white filter I spent less time on this time around due to how I knew how to properly use it from my experiences with my Violet Velvet photo. Overall I’m very satisfied with the final product of this photo, it looks quite aesthetically pleasing to me and I don’t think there’s anything else I could’ve added to the photo considering the theme of the series.
For my last photo Lime Leaf I went a little more excessive on the dripping effect due to just how many places in the photo it fits in. The black & white filtering in this photo was a bit more tricky because of how the lighting was, I probably spent more time then I should’ve trying to decide on the right adjustments for it. The outcome of this photo was better than I initially expected, as with the other two photos I’m ecstatic with how well the entire process went and the little problems I faced.
My first photo I finished, Violet Velvet, was quite easy to work with as the petals on it blended really well with the dripping effect. I took a fair amount of time with the black & white filter as I wanted to experiment with it, this helped me get a better feel for how to properly use the black & white filter. I took the inside nectar part of the flower and edited it so it looks like it’s flowing outward which I think works quite well with the dripping on the flower. What I really love about this photo overall is how much the colour pops, it definitely strengthens that sense of empathy I’m going for in the photo.
My second photo Red Rose was a bit more tricky as I needed to find a way for the flower to look naturally dripping and I had a few flaws to be fixed. The black & white filter I spent less time on this time around due to how I knew how to properly use it from my experiences with my Violet Velvet photo. Overall I’m very satisfied with the final product of this photo, it looks quite aesthetically pleasing to me and I don’t think there’s anything else I could’ve added to the photo considering the theme of the series.
For my last photo Lime Leaf I went a little more excessive on the dripping effect due to just how many places in the photo it fits in. The black & white filtering in this photo was a bit more tricky because of how the lighting was, I probably spent more time then I should’ve trying to decide on the right adjustments for it. The outcome of this photo was better than I initially expected, as with the other two photos I’m ecstatic with how well the entire process went and the little problems I faced.
Assemblage Complete!
Last week I started working on a new project, quite unlike anything I've done before. I had a vision before I started, I wanted to create an illusion within my art piece. Last month our class learned about perspective drawing and I was instantly inspired by that, I thought I'd show the creative process of construction. By using wood unpainted, the wood went into the drawing and slowly transitions into a more detailed and coloured cityscape. I wanted a burst of colour within this piece so I thought using oil pastels for the sky would make it pop, and it did! The bottom half is pencil crayon because I wanted to make sure the smaller parts were also detailed. This art piece is meant to represent the creative process of creating art and architecture. I specifically didn't paint the wood for this reason, it's meant to blend into the colours of the backdrop art.
Recent 2019 Work
I've made some pretty cool art and gotten some pretty good photos so far this year, so I'd show some of my progress I've made this this year so far. First up, is rock leaf, I made two variations so I put them both in here, I found it while I was walking back to the bus on a recently field trip we went on and I thought it was pretty cool how a flower-like plant could grow there. So after I took the photo, I took it into Photoshop and played around with it, one of the variations has graffiti as I believe something like that would make some pretty cool street art! The second one is it without the graffiti, I created a vignette and made the rock surrounding the flower-like plant black and white to put more emphasis on the flower. I also put a filter on the flower to make it look a little more like it's drawn, so overall, I'm very happen with how it turned out.
The second piece up is a photo of branch sticking out awkwardly from a tree, I really loved the yellow colour it had and wanted to put emphasis on it, I think I'm a little obsessed with that sorta style. I made the blurred background black and white and added a little contrast to the flower just to give it that pop it needed. I used a relatively low f stop to ensure not too much was in focus and just the branch. What I love about this photo is that it has that "light in the dark" ideology in it, meaning even though things are dark there is always a glimpse of hope in some way or another.
So the next piece I found a singular leaf on a branch I thought it would make a pretty great depth shot, and I'm satisfied with how it turned out. I didn't do any editing with this one because it was already perfect in my eyes, I used a low f stop so the further part of the branch was a little out of focus so the leaf was the centre of attention. What I really love about this picture is the immense detail on the leaf's surface, it's so complex yet so simply beautiful and we walk past stuff like this everyday taking it for granted, it's a shame really.
This next photo is a small waterfall a few inches tall, I thought it was cool since it was small instead of showing a rushing water and splashing everywhere it created bubbles instead. Also, I didn't notice till after I took the photo that there was a small coin located at top left rock, which adds a nice touch. The shutter speed was on point as it froze the water and bubbles in place while showing the movement of the water at the same time. I choose a low f stop so the things behind the grass in the top right corner were out of focus so it brought you attention back to the bubbles. I love how the bubbles and leaves fit so well together and the colours just work so naturally.
The second piece up is a photo of branch sticking out awkwardly from a tree, I really loved the yellow colour it had and wanted to put emphasis on it, I think I'm a little obsessed with that sorta style. I made the blurred background black and white and added a little contrast to the flower just to give it that pop it needed. I used a relatively low f stop to ensure not too much was in focus and just the branch. What I love about this photo is that it has that "light in the dark" ideology in it, meaning even though things are dark there is always a glimpse of hope in some way or another.
So the next piece I found a singular leaf on a branch I thought it would make a pretty great depth shot, and I'm satisfied with how it turned out. I didn't do any editing with this one because it was already perfect in my eyes, I used a low f stop so the further part of the branch was a little out of focus so the leaf was the centre of attention. What I really love about this picture is the immense detail on the leaf's surface, it's so complex yet so simply beautiful and we walk past stuff like this everyday taking it for granted, it's a shame really.
This next photo is a small waterfall a few inches tall, I thought it was cool since it was small instead of showing a rushing water and splashing everywhere it created bubbles instead. Also, I didn't notice till after I took the photo that there was a small coin located at top left rock, which adds a nice touch. The shutter speed was on point as it froze the water and bubbles in place while showing the movement of the water at the same time. I choose a low f stop so the things behind the grass in the top right corner were out of focus so it brought you attention back to the bubbles. I love how the bubbles and leaves fit so well together and the colours just work so naturally.
Romeo And Juliet Stop Motion
Design Portfolio
I've chosen some of my favourite pieces of art from the VAM academy this year and I'll be explaining why I believe they have great design aspects and what makes them special in my eyes. For the first photo I choose a digital art piece from my latest series "Simply Nature". I believe the best design aspects of "Silk And Skylines" is how bright and vibrant the colours are, it makes the variety in textures really pops out creating a very eye-catching piece. I tried to for an organic look, but I think the skyscrapers have a good sense of geometry to them as well. I also messed around with the filters for the NYC background which overall I'm happy with the bright colours and lights of the busy city. The spiderweb also had some good tints of colour in places and came out pretty organic and created good emphasis.
For the second piece, I also choose a piece from my series "Simply Nature" known as "Blue Blustering Berries", I tried to implement calm colours for the background and have the foreground stick out with it's vibrant red colours. My main goal with this piece of art was to capture the berries in a defining way well the background strays away from the main focus. I went more for an Abstract look for the background, for the berries, I went for a simplistic graffiti like art style. I originally tried to go for a split complimentary but that didn't even begin to compare for when I tested out the art as more of an analogous type piece.
My third piece is a photography photo from my personal Big Hill Springs trip (since the one day I twist my ankle is the day of the field trip.) This photo captures the essence of nature with its tangerine coloured leaves surrounding the water rushing down the mossy rocks. I think there is a lot of diversity in this piece yet unity as the colour scheme just brings it all together but the wide amount of different things in this photo. This photo stands out to me as an analogous based piece because of it's colours.
Last but no least, I have the forth piece I selected which is from my most recent photography trip. I took a photo of a sun-roof like outside garden architectural structure, the light and shading on the structure is rather divergent. I love how the clouds really makes you feel like you're flying or in this outer-worldly experience. overall, the angle this photo is at really completes it and it's unique style.
For the second piece, I also choose a piece from my series "Simply Nature" known as "Blue Blustering Berries", I tried to implement calm colours for the background and have the foreground stick out with it's vibrant red colours. My main goal with this piece of art was to capture the berries in a defining way well the background strays away from the main focus. I went more for an Abstract look for the background, for the berries, I went for a simplistic graffiti like art style. I originally tried to go for a split complimentary but that didn't even begin to compare for when I tested out the art as more of an analogous type piece.
My third piece is a photography photo from my personal Big Hill Springs trip (since the one day I twist my ankle is the day of the field trip.) This photo captures the essence of nature with its tangerine coloured leaves surrounding the water rushing down the mossy rocks. I think there is a lot of diversity in this piece yet unity as the colour scheme just brings it all together but the wide amount of different things in this photo. This photo stands out to me as an analogous based piece because of it's colours.
Last but no least, I have the forth piece I selected which is from my most recent photography trip. I took a photo of a sun-roof like outside garden architectural structure, the light and shading on the structure is rather divergent. I love how the clouds really makes you feel like you're flying or in this outer-worldly experience. overall, the angle this photo is at really completes it and it's unique style.
Calgary Field Trip
Artist Statement:
Jonathan Heidbuurt is a 16 year old artist who lives in Canada Alberta. Jonathan has a passion for Photography and digital art, in which his most recent series "Simply Nature", he has combined the two. With the use of filters and his own creativity, he has created a series of 5 Photography pieces that have been transformed into digital art. He has went for a mix of simplistically and graffiti style type art, the end result looks very exotic.
Jonathan is currently in the WH Croxford Visual Arts and Media Academy improving and practising to new art styles. Over the last year in VAM, Jonathan has learned about art styles such as charcoal, watercolour, oil pastel, and Photography. Jonathan has grown as an artist in VAM because of the new techniques he’s acquired, mistakes he’s learned from; knowledge he’s learned about history of art, and how to critique his and other’s work. First glance at the beginning of the year, Jonathan was a very shy artist who did the occasional doodle. Now he’s experienced in many types of art and has opened up as a very chatty charismatic person because of his time in VAM. It’s been a very uplifting year for Jonathan in VAM and has changed his life for the better.
Jonathan is currently in the WH Croxford Visual Arts and Media Academy improving and practising to new art styles. Over the last year in VAM, Jonathan has learned about art styles such as charcoal, watercolour, oil pastel, and Photography. Jonathan has grown as an artist in VAM because of the new techniques he’s acquired, mistakes he’s learned from; knowledge he’s learned about history of art, and how to critique his and other’s work. First glance at the beginning of the year, Jonathan was a very shy artist who did the occasional doodle. Now he’s experienced in many types of art and has opened up as a very chatty charismatic person because of his time in VAM. It’s been a very uplifting year for Jonathan in VAM and has changed his life for the better.